Mauermuseum - Museum Haus am Checkpoint Charlie, Berlin - TripAdvisor Want the lowest hotel prices? You're in the right place. We check 200+ sites for you. Mauermuseum - Museum Haus am Checkpoint Charlie, Berlin Mauermuseum - Museum Haus am Checkpoint Charlie Write a Review Mauermuseum - Museum Haus am Checkpoint Charlie Mauermuseum - Museum Haus am Checkpoint Charlie Location More Does this attraction require above average amounts of physical activity (long walks, climbs, stairs or hikes)? Yes Is this location a solemn or serious place like a memorial, cemetary, etc.? Yes Is this an outdoor attraction or activity? Yes Is this attraction a "must-see" location? Yes Would this be a good sunny day activity? Yes Is this attraction popular with tourists? Yes Does this attraction provide visitors with a taste of the local culture? Yes Is this attraction pet friendly? Yes Is this attraction suitable for all ages? Yes Would this be a good cold day activity? Yes Map updates are paused. Zoom in to see updated info.

Reset zoom Address: 43-45 Friedrichstrasse, 10969 Berlin, Germany Phone Number: Sun - Sat 9:00 am - 10:00 pm Recommended length of visit: 2-3 hours Book In Advance Berlin 1- or 2-Day Hop-On Hop-Off City Circle Tour: Berlin's Landmarks and... More Info Story Line of Berlin Walking Tour Including Typical Berlin Chocolate More Info Small Group Introductory Tour of Berlin Capital of Culture Tyranny and Tolerance See More Tours & Experiences Terrible “Good for a visit” This is part of the history of the Cold War so you must visit. The outside exhibition is free and interesting. Reviewed 5 days ago 8,125 Reviews from our TripAdvisor Community Which Berlin hotels are on sale? mm/dd/yyyy mm/dd/yyyy See all travel guides Read reviews that mention: All reviews black box american sector berlin wall piece of history east berlin passport information freedom stories reminder symbol Review tags are currently only available for English language reviews.

Start your review of Mauermuseum - Museum Haus am Checkpoint Charlie Click to rate “Ridiculous” Reviewed 4 days ago NEW In Berlin they have done a great job to keep alive the memory of the wall in a sober but still very effective manner. The exception is checkpoint Charlie. I found it ridiculous: if you pay some money, you can take a picture with two fake soldiers (often smoking or checking mobiles) carrying American flags. All around you can find... More Helpful? “Good for a visit” Reviewed 5 days ago NEW This is part of the history of the Cold War so you must visit. The outside exhibition is free and interesting. Helpful? “Much of interest but could be arranged better” Reviewed 6 days ago NEW While showing many methods used by East Germans to escape to the West, the museum also documents the Cold war from 1945 -1990. There is a lot to read but there are also a number of very informative videos in English. I found this aspect of the museum more interesting than the escape methods which seemed to be placed randomly... More Helpful? “A must when in Berlin” Reviewed 6 days ago NEW Checkpoint Charlie is a must if you visit Berlin.

It can be a little busy at times, but it's two blocks away from the actual wall. It's a good sliver of international history in one spot. *Also, bring your passport. There is a souvenir counter that will stamp retro stamps in your passport. Don't do the one on the actual... More Helpful? “Important landmark, museum is small” Reviewed 1 week ago Fantastic to pose for a photo with the officer at Checkpoint Charlie, but for museum lovers there are better options in Berlin. Helpful? “Lots of history, little to see” Reviewed 1 week ago Checkpoint Charlie is located in Mitte area where East-West Berlin in the past meet. It has lots of history because it's a symbol of the separation between West-East Europe specially Germany and Berlin after World War II. The name given to Berlin Wall crossing point between East Berlin and West Berlin during the Cold War (1947–1991). Nothing much to see... More Helpful? “Highly overrated!” Reviewed 1 week ago This 'museum' is very, very badly put together.

The content - cold war, the terror of the wall, the ingenuity of people trying to flee - is of course very worth while taking notice of, a crossroads in history if you will. But in Haus am Checkpoint Charlie it seems like the curator (if any even involved...) threw all the... More Helpful? “So much history here!” Reviewed 1 week ago This museum was very interesting and much larger than I expected. There is a lot of information to read and many displays. Helpful? “WELL WORTH A VISIT” Reviewed 1 week ago This is a very interesting museum. Next to checkpoint Charlie. It really shows the amount of efforts put in place for people who wanted to escape to freedom from the grusom communist east German regime. Well worth a visit when in Berlin. Beware of the men dressed up in US Army uniforms outside at Checkpoint Charlie. They may get digressive... More Helpful? Reviewed 1 week ago via mobile Badly laid out, cramped, too much information and some seems irrelevant- really needs some work to split the good stuff from the less-so Helpful? Write a Review Add Photos & Videos Is This Your TripAdvisor Listing? Own or manage this property?

Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more. Claim Your Listing Questions & Answers Here's what previous visitors have asked, with answers from representatives of Mauermuseum - Museum Haus am Checkpoint Charlie and other visitors 5 questions Julie B Elkader, Iowa Show all answers (8) Answer Christine V Show all answers (14) Answer Cathy M Questions? Get answers from Mauermuseum - Museum Haus am Checkpoint Charlie staff and past visitors. Hi, what would you like to know about this attraction? Posting guidelines Get notified about new answers to your questions. Ask Do I have to buy a ticket for my infant? How do I get there using public transportation? Is there a restaurant or café onsite? Staying in Kreuzberg Neighborhood Profile Kreuzberg Berlin's revolutionary heart and immigrant roots can both be found in Kreuzberg, but this central neighborhood is beginning a new chapter. In the 1950s and 60s, Turkish guest workers settled around Kottbusser Tor, while in the 1980s and 90s, rambunctious squatters and artists gathered to live a carefree life here.

An old hospital even became a hotspot of riots between squatters and police. Today you can still find the best kebabs in town and many underground clubs, but a lot has changed as well. The hospital has been transformed into an art center, and increasingly you will find new urban cafés, restaurants and designer shops. Rising housing prices and gentrification threaten the spirit of this area along the Spree River, but the neighborhood’s legacy is upheld by a very engaged community fighting to preserve its rebellious identity. it's not real - Review of Mauermuseum - Museum Haus am Checkpoint Charlie, Berlin, Germany - TripAdvisor “it's not real” Reviewed July 1, 2015 Let me preface this by saying that I walked into and out of East Berlin through this gate as a Canadian exchange student in 1980. It was the real thing and I kissed the ground when I got back into West Berlin. With changing times, I realize that it will never be the same. However, this still disappoints. I believe there is a sign saying it isn't the original building and isn't even on the right spot. Throw in the tourist shops and their demand to be paid for photographs and you have a disgrace.

I found the 'Haus am Checkpoint Charlie' museum to be far more interesting. Visited September 2014 Mauermuseum - Museum Haus am Checkpoint Charlie, Berlin - TripAdvisor Mauermuseum - Museum Haus am Checkpoint Charlie, Berlin Mauermuseum - Museum Haus am Checkpoint Charlie Write a Review Mauermuseum - Museum Haus am Checkpoint Charlie Mauermuseum - Museum Haus am Checkpoint Charlie Location More Does this attraction require above average amounts of physical activity (long walks, climbs, stairs or hikes)? Yes Is this location a solemn or serious place like a memorial, cemetary, etc.? Yes Is this attraction pet friendly? Yes Is this attraction suitable for all ages? Yes Would this be a good hot day activity? Yes Would this be a good cold day activity? Yes Is this attraction good for couples? Yes Is this an outdoor attraction or activity? Yes Is this attraction popular with tourists? Yes Does this attraction provide visitors with a taste of the local culture? Yes Map updates are paused. Zoom in to see updated info. Reset zoom Address: Friedrichstr.

43-45, 10969 Berlin, Germany Phone Number: +49 4930 2537250 Website Recommended length of visit: 2-3 hours Book In Advance Berlin 1- or 2-Day Hop-On Hop-Off City Circle Tour: Berlin's Landmarks and... More Info Small-Group Berlin History Walk Half-Day Tour More Info Small Group Introductory Tour of Berlin Capital of Culture Tyranny and Tolerance See More Tours & Experiences Terrible “Interesting but lots of reading involved” It is a big part of Berlin's history and there are some very interesting stories about families being torn apart and escape efforts, successful and unsuccessful. There are also... read more Reviewed yesterday 8,060 Reviews from our TripAdvisor Community Which Berlin hotels are on sale? dd/mm/yyyy dd/mm/yyyy See all travel guides Read reviews that mention: All reviews black box american sector berlin wall piece of history east berlin passport information freedom stories reminder symbol Review tags are currently only available for English language reviews.

Start your review of Mauermuseum - Museum Haus am Checkpoint Charlie Click to rate Reviewed yesterday NEW via mobile It is a big part of Berlin's history and there are some very interesting stories about families being torn apart and escape efforts, successful and unsuccessful. There are also many political issues too which can be pretty heavy going to read. There are quite a few artefacts and art pieces which are very good. We payed to have the audio... More Helpful? Reviewed yesterday NEW via mobile Thought this place would be more than it was. Shame to see it has been modernised and now the road runs straight through Helpful? “Could be first class if better curated” Reviewed yesterday NEW A lot of fascinating history in this overstuffed museum. Too much text to read, most of it irrelevant or uninteresting. There is so much text everywhere that it is easy to miss the most important information. Frankly do we need to see Ronald Reagan's riding boots and chainsaw, and the dress of a maid of honor at a wedding? All... More Helpful? “A great place!” Reviewed 2 days ago NEW via mobile I used to visit this regularly in the 70's & 80's, when my father was stationed in Berlin.

The focus then was all on the escape attempts, but history has moved on, & so has the attraction. Greatly expanded, & a must see. Helpful? “Amazing if you are at all interested in politics/ history ” Reviewed 2 days ago NEW via mobile This place is huge! Lots of reading. But so worth the time if this sort of thing interests you. Didn't expect as much Cold War or human rights stuff that is also included. While there is very little to keep little kids entertained, and if they can read you may have a lot of explaining to do, we still managed... More Helpful? “Do not get your passport stamped.” Reviewed 3 days ago NEW via mobile I read online somewhere that if you get your passport stamped it leaves it invalid. But as for that was one of the most boring things to see. Helpful? “Very Interesting Museum by Check point Charlie” Reviewed 3 days ago NEW This is a must see. The information on how the Jews where escaping Berlin was informative and creative. It was sad about what was going on in Berlin at the time and all the deaths but fasinating at the same time to learn of the creative ways people were escaping. We spent a couple hours here and and well worth...

More Helpful? “Lots of reading, but very informative” Reviewed 5 days ago NEW via mobile This is a very good museum for those who have a serious academic interest in Cold War history, and in the role played by Berlin in that conflict. Set as it is in a house alongside the wall, it has plenty of history in its own right, which lends some authenticity to it. There is, however, a LOT of reading... More Helpful? “A LOT of information ” Reviewed 6 days ago NEW via mobile This is a really interesting museum, charting the history of the wall and many of the escape attempts. The museum is much larger than it first appears and you could spend many hours here. The exhibits are in places quite dated though and it can feel like information overload at times. I would recommend a visit but just don't be... More Helpful? “Underwhelming” Reviewed 6 days ago NEW Of all the places we went to in Berlin I found this to be, by far, the one I was disappointed with. It may have been critical when the wall stood but I found it kitch. If you wish to miss anything in Berlin, miss this. Helpful? Write a Review Add Photos & Videos Is This Your TripAdvisor Listing?

Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more. Claim Your Listing Questions & Answers Here's what previous visitors have asked, with answers from representatives of Mauermuseum - Museum Haus am Checkpoint Charlie and other visitors 5 questions Julie B Elkader, Iowa Show all answers (8) Answer Christine V Show all answers (14) Answer Cathy M Questions? Get answers from Mauermuseum - Museum Haus am Checkpoint Charlie staff and past visitors. Hi, what would you like to know about this attraction? Posting guidelines Get notified about new answers to your questions. Ask Do I have to buy a ticket for my infant? How do I get there using public transportation? Is there a restaurant or café onsite? Staying in Kreuzberg Neighbourhood Profile Kreuzberg Berlin's revolutionary heart and immigrant roots can both be found in Kreuzberg, but this central neighbourhood is beginning a new chapter. In the 1950s and '60s, Turkish guest workers settled around Kottbusser Tor, while in the 1980s and '90s, rambunctious squatters and artists gathered to live a carefree life here.

An old hospital even became a hotspot of riots between squatters and police. Today you can still find the best kebabs in town and many underground clubs, but a lot has changed as well. The hospital has been transformed into an art center, and increasingly you will find new urban cafés, restaurants and designer shops. Rising housing prices and gentrification threaten the spirit of this area along the Spree River, but the neighbourhood’s legacy is upheld by a very engaged community fighting to preserve its rebellious identity. Checkpoint Charlie Berlin > Siem Reap in Cambodia read more LATEST BLOG ENTRY: S-Bahn train derailed in Berlin An S-Bahn train in Berlin derailed on Tuesday near Tegel. Six people were injured but thankfully there weren't any casualties. read more Checkpoint Charlie is (together with Glienicker Brücke) the name of the most famous border crossing between former East- and West-Berlin during the Cold War. It became a symbol for the separation of east and west. Here the infamous Checkpoint Charlie Standoff took place. In 1961 American and Russian tanks faced each other here during the 1961 Berlin Crisis.

This could easily have led to World War III so there is some historic significance to this place. The standoff began as a dispute over whether or not East German border guards are authorized to check U.S. diplomats. The diplomat Allan Lightner only wanted to cross to see an opera it ended with 10 Russian and 10 American facing each other, fully armed and only 100 meters apart at Checkpoint Charlie. The crisis was averted at the end but gave a big fright to a lot of people. Subsequently Checkpoint Charlie gained a reputation by being a popular spot for people trying to flee communist East Germany. Initially it was only a gate so one person crashed with a car right through it. A pole was put in place it at least two people came in convertibles, simply took the windscreen down and slipped right underneath it. As a result the barrier was lowered uprights were added. Checkpoint Charlie was secured. People trying to escape didn’t stop that. On August 17, 1962 Peter Fechter became a symbol for the cruelty of the Berlin Wall. While trying to escape he was shot by border guards. His body was caught in barbwire and he slowly bled to death.

The Americans couldn’t help because he was technically lying on Soviet territory. The border guards didn’t go either because they were afraid provoking the Allied forces who had shot a guard just a few days earlier. The slow death of Peter Fechter lead to demonstrations on the western side of the wall and some very bad blood towards the Russians. Eventually they even had to use a different border crossing. Angry crowds had gathered to stone Russian busses on their way to Tiergarten. The original Checkpoint Charlie was removed after the German reunion in October 1990. The guard house is actually on display in a museum in Berlin Zehlendorf. A few cobblestones now mark the spot of the former border. Later a copy of the original guard house was erected which now serves as the tourist attraction Checkpoint Charlie. Nearby is also a private museum called Haus am Checkpoint Charlie. It started up as an exhibition just outside the Berlin Wall. It was initiated by the German historian Rainer Hildebrandt on 19 October 1962. Other Berlin Sights: Hotel Mercure Berlin Checkpoint Charlie, Germany - Booking.com Stay in the heart of Berlin – Great location - show map One of our bestsellers in Berlin!

This Mercure hotel is situated in the heart of Berlin, a 3-minute walk from Checkpoint Charlie and the Stadtmitte Underground Station. It offers a 24-hour fitness room, a sauna and complimentary WiFi. Mercure Hotel & Residenz Berlin Checkpoint Charlie features spacious, non-smoking rooms, suites and apartments. All rooms were renovated in 2016 and include soundproof windows, a minibar, tea/coffee facilities and a modern bathroom with a hairdryer. In addition to the free WiFi in all areas, guests can order high-speed WiFi for a small surcharge. RELAX - Food, Drinks & You is the bistro and bar. This offers a selection of famous wines and a selection of delicious snacks, soups, salads and street food. Bicycles can be rented at reception for exploring Berlin on 2 wheels. The entertainment options at Potsdamer Platz can be reached in just 2 minutes by underground train. Mitte is a great choice for travellers interested in history, museums and architecture. This is our guests' favourite part of Berlin, according to independent reviews. This property also has one of the best-rated locations in Berlin! Guests are happier about it compared to other properties in the area.

This property is also rated for the best value in Berlin! Guests are getting more for their money when compared to other properties in this city. We speak your language! Mercure Hotel & Residenz Berlin Checkpoint Charlie has been welcoming Booking.com guests since 4 Mar 2005. Hotel Rooms: 139, Hotel Chain: Mercure Most popular facilities Read more Booking.com guest review guidelines To keep the rating score and review content relevant for your upcoming trip, we archive reviews older than 24 months. Only a customer who has booked through Booking.com and stayed at the property in question can write a review. This lets us know that our reviews come from real guests, like you. Who better to tell others about the free breakfast, friendly staff, or quiet room than someone who’s stayed at the property before? We want you to share your story, both the good and the bad. All we ask is that you follow a few simple guidelines. Reviews vision We believe review contributions and property responses will highlight a wide range of opinion and experiences, which are critical in helping guests make well-informed decisions about where to stay.

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It was dusk when I arrived at Friedrichstrasse, still down in the dumps from having seen only couples and families walking around in Museum Island earlier that day (Read: Loneliness of the Long-Term Solo Traveler ). I suppose I should have appreciated it more; going past Checkpoint Charlie had represented freedom for a lot of people behind The Wall. However, all I saw was just a lot of tourists posing by the “guards” at the hut at the border between East and West Berlin. They were probably staying in one of the nice Berlin hotels , and didn’t mind that the guards charged them 2 euros for each photo they’d taken. I didn’t bother to have my picture taken; not only did I think it was a waste of money, I also didn’t feel like it. One interesting thing there was the placard that read “You are leaving the American Sector” when you’re coming from what used to be West Berlin, and on the other side, “You are entering the American Sector.” Of course that was already a copy. Everything there was just a copy. If you want to see the original, for whatever reason, you can go to the Museum nearby (Admission: €12.50).

After a few minutes of just walking around, I dropped by McDonald’s, wanting to buy a caramel sundae, my comfort food whenever I would get depressed. I never had to, though, as when I passed by a table, I overheard Filipinos talking in our language. It served as an instant mood-lifter for me! I didn’t even have to approach them and talk to them. Merely hearing my country’s language already improved my mood. I left Checkpoint Charlie much happier than when I arrived there. It was ironic that it was in McDonald’s–where an 18-year-old East German was killed by border guards in 1960s–that I found what I needed to enjoy the rest of my stay in Berlin. Have you been to Checkpoint Charlie? What did you think of it? You might like: Checkpoint Charlie Museum Checkpoint Charlie Museum Thursday's Editorial — Posted on November 8, 2012 Jump to...

Just Questions (by Thor Halvorssen, National Review) – …While the Cold War may seem far removed from [2012, the 51st] anniversary of the construction of the Berlin Wall, it is important to reexamine the devastation caused by Communist regimes and the historical framework in which something so atrocious as the splitting of a city was allowed to happen. Further, it should serve as a powerful reminder that a country that does not allow you to leave is, by every conceivable standard, a totalitarian state (today this is best exemplified by Burma, Cuba, North Korea, and Vietnam, where having a passport is not a right of the common person, but rather a privilege the government reserves for a very small number of propaganda ambassadors and diplomats). German historian and anti-Communist activist Rainer Hildebrandt understood the necessity of this better than anyone else. On Oct. 19, 1962, a mere 13 months after the [Berlin Wall was erected], Hildebrandt hosted his first exhibition in a modest two-room apartment on the infamous Bernauer Straße [the street that lined the Berlin Wall].

“We suggested that tourists be thankful to those border guards who do not shoot to kill: ‘See through the uniform!’ we would tell them. Some guards saw that we understood, and after their own escapes came to work with us,” wrote Hildebrandt. “The large number of visitors encouraged us to look for new premises.” A year later, Hildebrandt opened Haus am Checkpoint Charlie , also known as Mauermuseum, a collection of photos, stories, and miscellaneous items documenting the damage the wall had caused. In a stirring testimony to the irrepressible spirit of liberty, the museum today documents the daring successful escapes – most of them involving ordinary people with nothing at their disposal except courage and creativity. Home-made submarines, military disguises, secret compartments in cars, home-made airplanes, human catapults, identity theft – the museum contains information and objects detailing the most breathtaking of escapes. Located next to the prominent border-crossing checkpoint from which it took its name, the museum also became a sort of safe haven for escapees and a place from which escape-helpers monitored movement at the borders.

Hildebrandt’s dogged fervor for this cause culminated in the creation of an exhaustive repository of GDR [German Democratic Republic: Soviet-controlled East Germany] memorabilia that to this day remains open every day of the year at its original location near Checkpoint Charlie. [Checkpoint Charlie was the name given by the Western Allies to the best-known Berlin Wall crossing point between East Berlin and West Berlin during the Cold War.]… Hildebrandt’s project, marked by his indefatigable attention to detail, has served as a far more captivating reminder of Soviet cruelty than anything that can be found in the United States or Western Europe. The best effort in the United States to document Communist history was the formation of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation . This non-profit was established by an Act of Congress and is chaired by the American equivalent of Rainer Hildebrandt, Lee Edwards, who originally intended to raise $100 million for a memorial and museum with plans to create an exhibit that included statues of notable freedom fighters and a recreation of the gulag, in addition to artifacts of Communist regimes.

Regrettably, owing to an unforgivable lack of interest by philanthropists and institutional donors in the United States, the museum project had to be put on hold. Undefeated, Edwards soldiered on and on June 12, 2007, the 20th anniversary of Pres. Ronald Reagan’s “tear down this wall” speech in Berlin, a monument was unveiled on Capitol Hill to memorialize the victims of Communism. It is a sculpture of the “Goddess of Democracy,” a bronze replica of the statue constructed by Chinese students in Tiananmen Square in 1989 (prior to their being murdered by the government that continues to rule China). I was there with Lee Edwards that day in June, and what made it particularly moving was that it was the late Tom Lantos, a Holocaust survivor, and the only American congressman to have survived the horror of Nazi Germany, who drove the point home about Soviet Communism. Edwards has since focused his efforts on education, founding an online Global Museum of Communism, with an extensive trove of Communist-era remnants, interactive graphics and texts, as well as evidence of Communist atrocities.

Arguably, an online museum can reach more people than an actual edifice. Edwards’s foundation is now preparing a curriculum on the history of Communism for use in American secondary education. November 9, 1989, was the day that Politburo official Gunter Schabowski announced that travel “abroad” from East Germany would be allowed. Immediately, Berliners from the East and West stormed the Berlin Wall, ignoring the caveat that permission still had to be granted for travel. For a few hours, the confused border control attempted to hold the crowd back but was soon overwhelmed by the crowd’s euphoria and began allowing people to pass through freely for the first time in 28 years. This is when the history books tell us that the Berlin Wall “fell.” No, dear reader, it was torn down, mostly by young people with hammers, pickaxes, tractors, pulleys, and a strength of spirit that was made stronger over the years by the peaceful actions of those who stood against, documented, and bore witness to the cruelty and inhumanity of the Communist tyranny.

Recognition and attention should be paid to men like Hildebrandt whose life’s work has affected millions yet who seldom get the recognition they so richly deserve. Tonight in New York City, the Atlas Foundation, a global public-policy think tank focused on “advancing the cause of liberty,” will host a dinner to commemorate the tearing down of the Berlin Wall. Let’s hope someone raises a glass to Hildebrandt’s work. Meanwhile, at the Checkpoint Charlie Museum, the current curator, Alexandra Hildebrandt, has wasted no time carrying forward her husband’s struggle beyond Berlin: On November 15, the museum will unveil the “Sergei Magnitsky Exhibition.” To be opened by the German justice minister, Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger, the exhibit will detail the life and ghastly death of 39-year-old Sergei Magnitsky, tortured to death by Vladimir Putin’s government for blowing the whistle on corruption in modern Russia. The Magnitsky case is a key element in any discussion of human rights in Russia and the exhibit is well worth a visit.

The museum previously had an exhibit about the continued imprisonment of Russia’s most egregious political prisoner case in post-Soviet Russia: Mikhail Khodorkovsky, another Putin adversary. Hildebrandt well understands that in places such as Russia, North Korea, Syria, China, Cuba, Burma, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and too many African countries to list here, entire peoples are still besieged within their nations by oppressive governments. Lucky for them, there still exists a piece of “the American Sector” in Berlin at the Checkpoint Charlie Museum, where they will find allies in the struggle for liberty. — Thor Halvorssen is president of the New York-based Human Rights Foundation and founder of the Oslo Freedom Forum. Originally published Nov. 9, 2011. Reprinted here on Nov. 8, 2012, for educational purposes only. May not be reproduced on other websites without permission from National Review. Visit the website at NationalReview.com . Questions 1. The purpose of an editorial/commentary is to explain, persuade, warn, criticize, entertain, praise, exhort or answer. What do you think is the purpose of Mr. Halvorssen’s commentary? Explain your answer. 2.

Tone is the attitude a writer takes towards his subject: the tone can be serious, humorous, sarcastic, ironic, inspiring, solemn, objective, cynical, optimistic, encouraging, critical, enthusiastic, etc. Which word do you think best describes the tone of Mr. Halvorssen’s commentary? Explain your answer. Background The Berlin Wall was a wall in Berlin, Germany that separated Communist East Berlin from democratic West Berlin. The Wall was erected overnight on August 13-14, 1961. Over the 28 years that the wall was in place, East Germany jailed more than 75,000 people who tried to flee to the West across the Wall, and 809 people died/were killed in escape attempts. On November 9, 1989, the East German government announced that all GDR citizens could visit West Germany and West Berlin. The wall was finally torn down over the next few weeks.

[The German Democratic Republic (GDR), informally called East Germany by West Germany and other countries, was a socialist state established in 1949 in the Soviet zone of occupied Germany, including East Berlin of the Allied-occupied capital city.] According to official numbers, 28 people managed to escape East Berlin on the first day, and 41 on the second day. That night, shots were fired at a couple swimming the Teltow Canal. Although there were no casualities, it was an ominous harbinger of what was to come. East Germans who lived on Bernauer Straße — the street that lined the Berlin Wall — were throwing themselves out the windows of their apartments to cross into the West. Even after all their windows were sealed with bricks, some attempted to jump off their roofs. West Berlin sympathizers and firefighters would stand on the Western side of the border with sheets to break the escapees’ falls, but, between the East German police that came after them and the sheer impossibility of surviving such a fall, many simply plummeted to their deaths — preferring death to life without freedom.

One year later, Peter Fechter, an 18-year-old bricklayer, was shot by a border guard and left to bleed to death while his chilling calls for help could be heard on both sides of the wall. Fechter became the first victim of the Berlin Wall guards. When the GDR realized that the border-control guards, many of them young boys around the same age as the West Berlin demonstrators on the other side of the wall, were not shooting to kill, some sections of the wall were lined with motion-detecting automatic machine guns. In the next 28 years, 191 more people lost their lives in attempts to cross to West Berlin. Resources At Checkpoint Charlie, a battle over visions - The Washington Post At Checkpoint Charlie, a battle over visions The inside track on Washington politics. Be the first to know about new stories from PowerPost. Sign up to follow, and we’ll e-mail you free updates as they’re published. You’ll receive free e-mail news updates each time a new story is published. You’re all set!

By Michael Birnbaum By Michael Birnbaum July 12, 2012 Follow @michaelbirnbaum Here at Checkpoint Charlie, where Soviet and American tanks once aimed at each other separated by 30 yards, Cold War tensions are still running high. An international group of scholars, backed by Berlin’s center-left city government, wants to build a Cold War museum on a rubble-strewn plot of land here, saying that one of the best-known sites of confrontation between the capitalist West and the communist East should not be abandoned to tourist touts and vendors selling Red Army hats. But a group of conservative politicians, seared by memories of the divided city, says the plans for the museum are overly sympathetic to the communists. They want a museum elsewhere in the city that they say celebrates freedom. In the meantime, the empty land at Checkpoint Charlie has been covered over with food stands offering “Checkpoint Curry” and “Organic Power Food.” About 700,000 tourists visit every year, according to city authorities, snapping photographs with actors dressed as Soviet and American troops and walking through an eccentric private museum that was built by a man who helped East Berliners escape to the West.

With fewer and fewer traces of Berlin’s division left every year, supporters of the Cold War museum say, it’s time to take a scholarly approach to the story of a major geopolitical conflict that had some of its most dramatic clashes in this city. “It’s a scandal to have hot dog stands and people in fake uniforms,” said Konrad Jarausch, a history professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill who was born in Germany and is leading the museum effort. “What the city needs is a museum on the same level of some of the museums that deal with the Third Reich.” The Cold War “is full of crises and confrontations and spies, but the ending is quite positive, which is that people are sensible with each other,” Jarausch said. “You can actually resolve conflicts, and you don’t need World War III.” American Cold Warriors Supporters of the museum have included prominent American Cold Warriors such as former secretaries of state James A. Baker III and Lawrence Eagleburger, as well as an international panel of scholars. Exhibits would look at the entirety of the conflict between the East and the West and would try to correct misconceptions on both sides, advocates say. Eagleburger died last year.

But some local Berlin politicians — many of whom spent much of their lives fighting on the front line of the Cold War, West against East — say that the museum won’t represent history as they lived it. “The Americans saved Berlin,” said Stefan Schlede, 71, a spokesman for the cultural affairs committee of Berlin’s city parliament and a member of the center-right Christian Democratic Party. During years of division, he was the principal of a school in Neukoelln, a peninsula of West Berlin that was walled off from the east on three sides. “To neutralize the efforts toward German unification and to present the Cold War equidistantly, saying both sides are responsible for it in the same way, we don’t feel that this should be done in such a prominent location in Berlin,” Schlede said. “A museum always has a message. History is always politics. There is no neutral museum,” he added. Schlede and other local Berlin Christian Democrats instead want to build a “museum of freedom” at the now-empty Tempelhof Airport, which was the site of the Berlin Airlift. It would focus more exclusively on the tale of Western triumph over the Eastern bloc.

His allies hint that the backers of the Cold War museum, including Berlin’s ruling center-left Social Democrats, are too sympathetic to communist East Germany and the now-disbanded Soviet Union. Nonsense, the museum supporters say. “This is ballast carried on the back from the past,” said Rainer Klemke, director of memorials for the Berlin Senate. “We must understand different perspectives. That’s what the Christian Democrats are fighting.” History and bratwurst Similar controversies have flared in recent times. Last year, the Berlin Senate debated a proposal to name a street or plaza in the city after President Ronald Reagan, who famously demanded of the Soviet Union’s leader in 1987, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.” Even a three-block-long partial reconstruction of the wall for a recent memorial struck the nerves of people who were happy that the physical boundary had been mostly built over.

Still, the divisions continue to fascinate many Germans, drawing them to Checkpoint Charlie even in its current chaotic state, where a reconstructed sign warns tour buses that they “are leaving the American sector.” “You could display this much better,” said Ralf Emrich, 48, a small-business owner from Saarbruecken, a city that borders France, who was eating a bratwurst one recent afternoon at a stand on the empty lot that backers hope to use for their museum. Emrich said that it was his first time in Berlin and that Checkpoint Charlie was his first stop. “Unification, Gorbachev, we saw it on television. It’s moving when you think there used to be a wall here and you couldn’t go across,” he said. The man serving Emrich his bratwurst had a different take. “I’ve had to hear it my whole life,” said Kevin Mottke, who was born in East Berlin on Nov. 10, 1989, just hours after the announcement that East Berliners would be allowed to cross the border.

“My father was really upset, because my mother had to go to the hospital, and he wanted to go to the border crossing.” Now, Mottke said, “everything is normal here.” Petra Krischok contributed to this report. More world news coverage: Third Reich tour 2015 | Checkpoint Charlie | Berlin Wall : $650 WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THE TOUR PRICE? Upon arrival in Munich, passengers are greeted at the airport and brought to our hotel. There is an introduction to the tour and a chance to get acquainted over a welcome drink. In the morning we visit the infamous Dachau camp, which features a full-scale museum detailing Nazi atrocities. In the afternoon a local guide leads us on a Third Reich tour of Munich. The day involves a trip to Berchtesgaden, site of Hitler’s Bavarian retreat and the Eagle’s Nest. We start with a scenic drive up to the Eagle’s Nest itself. We then pay a visit to Dokumentation Obersalzberg, an exhibit set atop the bunker complex that was to serve as the Nazis’ last stand.

We travel to Nuremberg to visit the Nazi Rally Grounds, where the massive annual Nazi Party rallies were held to reinforce party enthusiasm and showcase the power of National Socialism. We spend the morning visiting the Palace of Justice, site of the post-war Nuremberg Trials. In the afternoon we explore the historical center of Nuremberg for a walking tour of the one-time capital of the Holy Roman Empire. We travel to Munster to take in the unrivaled tank collection of the Panzer Museum. We then make our way to Hamburg to explore the city and its historical ports. We spend the morning exploring World War II-related sites in Hamburg such as St. Nicolai Church, Hamburg Harbor and an intact flak tower. Passengers then enjoy some free time. In the morning we travel to our final destination, the German capital of Berlin. We visit the House of the Wannsee Conference, where the details of the implementation of the Final Solution to the Jewish question were hashed out. We then stop at the 1936 Olympic Stadium. We spend the morning visiting the German-Russian Museum in Berlin where Wilhelm Keitel signed the unconditional surrender on May 8, 1945.

In the afternoon we explore Hitler’s Berlin, his plans for Germania and sites related to the fall of the Third Reich. Famous landmarks include the Reichstag, the Brandenburg Gate and the site of Hitler’s bunker. The Cold War is explored in the morning, with visits to Checkpoint Charlie, the Berlin Wall and Treptower Park. Our guests have free time in the afternoon to roam this surprisingly green city and its myriad of sites. After saying goodbye, our guests are transferred to the airport for their return flights.

Question: In which European city would you have found Checkpoint Charlie?
Answer: Berlin